Denmark continue Pabst streak with dramatic win in Toronto

Jayce Denmark continued his rich streak in uniform on the streets around Exhibition Place in Toronto this morning.

The 18-year-old remained in control – just – throughout the action-packed 20-lap Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Toronto, but there was plenty of drama behind him after a late caution across the circuit set the stage for one… lap rush to the checkered flag .

Miles Rowe looked like he could extend his lead in the Cooper Tires USF2000 championship by following in the footsteps of his Pabst Racing teammate, until his nearest title rival Michael d’Orlando (Cape Motorsports) attempted a second-place finish at turn eight. on the last lap.

Heavy contact cost both podium contenders and allowed DEForce Racing teammates Thomas Nepveu and Dylan Christie to finish second and third.

The results

Denmark started from the front row of the grid after claiming his second Cooper Tires Pole Award in qualifying on Saturday morning. Jagger Jones lined up side by side in the front row with two of the championship’s main characters, Rowe and d’Orlando, together in the second row.

Roe moved up to second by the end of the first lap, but the top four remained virtually tied as they pulled away from fifth-place Nepweu.

At Turn 3 on lap 13, Rowe tried to take the lead and when that was repelled, Jones saw an opportunity to challenge Rowe for second as they exited the tight corner. Unfortunately for Jones, a bit of contact with Rowe dislodged the front wing of his car, leaving him with a poor handling car for the rest of the race.

The incident also served as a delay for d’Orlando, who continued to claim the fastest lap of the race as he sought to make up the gap to the two Pabst cars.

Then came the final twist when d’Orlando’s younger brother, Nicolas, crashed his Autosport-exclusive Tatuus USF-22 at turn five to bring out the caution.

The damage was repaired with plenty of time for the final lap of green flag racing, and although the order at the top remained the same for most of the lap, d’Orlando saw an opportunity under braking for turn eight and dived to the inside. The couple had a lot of contact on the way out. Both were able to continue, though Nepweu and Christie took advantage of a hand-to-hand fight to take second and third.

Both DEForce teammates were ecstatic, with Nepveu taking his second podium of the season and his first in front of a Canadian crowd, and Christie finally making his first trip to the podium. Christy also won the Tilton Hard Charger Award after moving up eight positions from 11th.

D’Orlando and Rowe were able to hold on to fourth and fifth, while Jones remained in sixth, also with a damaged car.

Denmark’s impressive victory secured Augie Pabst’s eighth PFC award of the year as the owner of the winning car. It also moved him into the thick of the headline mix.

“I’m very happy to win after everything that happened there. It was a very tight race – even more than usual,” said Danii. “I’m glad we did it today, and the defensive defense played a big part. I lost it at the end yesterday, so to come back today and win helps us finish the season at on a high note, only three races left. I’m looking forward to Portland.”

Only 25 points separate the top three contenders with just one race weekend remaining on the schedule, a tripleheader at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Ore., in conjunction with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Sept. 2-4.

Provisional championship points after 15 of 18 races:
1. Miles Rowe, 346
2. Michael d’Orlando, 323
3. Jace Denmark, 321
4. Jagger Jones, 265
5. Billy Frazier, 229
6. Thomas Nepwe, 221
7. Bijoy Garg, 203
8. Christian Weir, 180
9. Nicky Hayes, 172
10. Dylan Christie, 165